POLICE have begun a zero tolerance campaign on three roads near Nantwich in an attempt to save motorcyclists from death or serious injury.

Patrols in marked and unmarked cars are out on the A534, A51 and A49 looking for bikers and other drivers who break speed limits, cross white lines, ignore road signs, or have vehicles which don't comply with road regulations.

They are being assisted by the Cheshire Police spotter plane and the Cheshire Safety Camera Partnership.

The roads are a favourite haunt of bikers in the summer and five motorcyclists have been killed and 24 injured in collisions there over the past three years.

Crewe traffic Sergeant Steve Griffiths, who investigates serious and fatal collisions, said: "The riders are often in small groups and they sometimes push one another into taking greater and greater risks.

"Some of the bikes travel at well over 100 miles an hour and ignore the white lines, even though the roads have a lot of bends and dips.

"If we think the driving is careless or dangerous we will press for charges along those lines, rather than just the basic infringements.

"Sometimes the bikes have very noisy exhausts and illegal number plates with very small figures in an attempt to dodge speed cameras. We are dealing with all that.

"Car, van and lorry drivers aren't exempt either.

"If they are travelling too fast they will be booked, and the same applies if they are using mobile phones illegally or travelling without seat belts.

"Alongside this, officers will hand out advice leaflets on various safety topics and we will continue talking to highways engineers about ways the roads can be made safer.

"This is not a vendetta against motorcyclists. Enforcement does work. In 2003 and 2004 no bikers died during the summer months as we carried out similar campaigns.

"We are not out to spoil anyone's fun. We just want them to stay alive."